It's said that defense wins championships and in Saturday's large-school state championship football game, defense reigned supreme until the final three minutes.
Before a massive crowd that filled the bleachers and lined the fence bordering the field at Anchorage Football Stadium, West's J'Vonte Buster became the first and only player to cross the goal line when he scored on a 7-yard pass from Conor Feckley with 3 minutes and 1 second left.
Then, after Service blocked a field goal and gained possession at midfield with 27 seconds left, Wesley Tulimasaelii intercepted a long pass as time ran out to preserve West's 6-0 victory over Service.
"We wanted to show everyone we had a great defense," said West linebacker Donzell Harris. "We wanted a shutout."
The victory gave West -- the oldest high school in Anchorage -- its first state football championship since the state playoffs began in 1983.
It was the lowest-scoring championship game in state history, and it came just hours after Soldotna beat Kenai 77-42 for the small-schools title in a game that was the highest-scoring championship in state history. The previous lowest-scoring championship game was in 2002, when Kenai beat Soldotna 7-0.
West's winning score came on a third-and-goal play, and when Buster caught the short pass on the 4-yard line, he looked as though he wasn't going to get anywhere. He was met on the 2-yard line by a couple of Service defenders, but with an extra surge, he broke through the tackles and fell across the goal line.
"I just kept my legs turning," Buster said. "This is the greatest feeling."
With less than a minute remaining, West tried to cushion its lead with a 48-yard field goal, but Service blocked the kick and recovered the ball at midfield.
"I'm the type of guy that wants to end the game if I can," said West coach Tim Davis said.
On the Cougars' first play from scrimmage, with 27 seconds left, they were penalized for a chop block and sent back 15 yards. On the next play, quarterback J.J. Christy lofted a long pass toward the end zone, but Tulimasaelii came up with the ball to end Service's chances.
"It's tough," said Service running back Michael McCrae. "We all played our hearts out."
McCrae, a senior, gained nearly 2,000 rushing yards this season and did not disappoint Saturday. His electric moves and blazing speed were on display all night, but West somehow kept him out of the end zone.
"The crowd played a big part in the game," said McCrae. "We were nervous."
McCrae finished with 123 yards on 22 carries, but with the exception of a 36-yard run in the first quarter, he was corralled by West.
"We thought we would be successful if we could hold him to 120 yards," said West defensive coordinator Josh Garcia.
Garcia said the Eagles tried to treat the game like any other game, telling each other they would be winners no matter what as long as they played their best.
"There was no tension on the sideline," he said.
Yet there was plenty of reason to be tense. West turned the ball over on each of its first three possessions and seven times total.
Feckley, a sophomore, threw four interceptions in the first half and started the second half with a fifth. He called it the worst game of his life, but also called it the best experience of his life.
"I think he was a little nervous," said Davis. "They put a lot of pressure on Conor."
Feckley gave credit to Service defensive coordinator Numi Ilialio Jr. for coming up with a defensive scheme he hadn't seen before and confused him.
Halftimes adjustments made by Davis, who is 19-1 in two seasons at West, made the offense click a little better in the second half, said Feckley, who completed seven of his last eight passes, including the game-winning pass.
West had opportunities to score in the first quarter, but interceptions dashed every promising drive. The Eagles got inside the Service 20 but the drive ended when La'Michael Fernandez intercepted a pass in the end zone; Kahlil Bolling intercepted two passes to kill West drives, and Matthew Ilalio intercepted one right before the end of the half to kill West's final drive.
Service had an opportunity to score on a field goal toward the end of the third quarter, but the 27-yard attempt by Meghan Dotten fell short by a yard.
Find Jeremy Peters online at adn.com/contact/jpeters or call 257-4335.
ASAA/ First National Bank
State Football Championship
Service 0 0 0 0 -- 0
West 0 0 0 6 -- 6
Fourth Quarter
West -- Buster 7 pass from Feckley (kick failed), 3:01.
Service West
First downs 7 14
Rushes-yards 37-124 12-6
Passing yards 44 274
Return yards 20 44
Passes 5-15-2 19-42-6
Punts 5-29.0 3-35.0
Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-1
Penalties-yards 6-60 10-75
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING -- Service: McCrae 22-123, Aukusitino 12-5, Fernandez 3-(-4). West: Holtman 6-12, Grisham 1-(-4), Dion 1-(-2), Feckley 4-(-3).
PASSING -- Service: Aukusitino 5-14-44-1, Christy 0-1-0-1. West: Feckley 19-41-274-5, Hotman 0-1-0-1.
RECEIVING -- Service: Lambe 2-17, Kunder 1-16, Busey 1-8, Williamson 1-3. West: Buster 9-161, Bell 5-82, Dion 5-37.
State championships
Large Schools
Year Winner Runner-up Score
2010 West Service 6-0
2009 Bartlett Chugiak 21-3
2008 Service Juneau 22-14
2007 Juneau Palmer 23-13
2006 South Colony 26-16
2005 Juneau Palmer 49-29
2004 North Pole West 44-13
2003 East Juneau 33-15
2002 Bartlett Chugiak 34-13
2001 Dimond Bartlett 16-0
2000 Dimond Colony 28-21
1999 Service Wasilla 49-0
1998 Service Dimond 48-20
1997 Service Chugiak 47-14
1996 Chugiak Palmer 24-19
1995 Palmer Chugiak 12-7
1994 Service Chugiak 16-14
1993 Dimond Eielson 20-19
1992 Eielson Soldotna 28-9
1991 Bartlett Eielson 27-0
1990 East Soldotna 36-7*
1989 Bartlett West Valley 14-7
1988 Chugiak Soldotna 20-18
1987 East North Pole 41-6
1986 East Palmer 29-18
1985 East Lathrop 26-0
1984 Chugiak Lathrop 8-5
1983 Dimond Soldotna 21-0
*1990 was the first season of the Alaska School Activities Association state tournament.
By JEREMY PETERS
jpeters@adn.com